Details

A pairing of opposites. The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas.The coming together of beer and wine.Thesis, antithesis, and synthesis yield this mightily fruity hop-forward saison that is like nothing you've had before. Sauvignon Blanc grape juice brings explosive flavors and aromas — green grass, tropical berries, Kaffir lime, and refreshing crisp acidity. This powerful grape is both balanced and enhanced by New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops and the wine-like character of French saison yeast. This is pure, wild, dynamic energy in a beer-wine hybrid - a fine balance achieved via contrasting flavors working together to create an Antithetical Synergy.

Customer Reviews

My friend picked out this kit and we brewed it together. I don't know that I would have been as adventurous as that given that I'm still pretty new to homebrewing but... wow, what amazing results. The sauvignon blanc grape must adds a really nice twist to this saison, giving it a complex flavor. We hit it with a double-dose of the Belle Saison yeast (we didn't have a starter) and we got great results there -- O.G. 1.066, F.G. 1.010. (Posted on 1/19/15)

Brewed this to take out to my sister's college graduation because it sounded unique. I have sampled a few so far and they are fantastic. Definitely found a winner with this one. I love beer and like wine... never thought I would love them together. But, this beer is great (Posted on 12/2/14)

I made one simple change to the recipe, I split up the LME addition - half at the start of boil, half at 30 minutes. The color turned out perfectly. My roommate was drinking a Boulevard Tank 7 when I opened my first bottle of Antithesis, and the color was almost a a perfect match. Oh, and I used Irish moss.

This is the 6th beer I've made. I've been happy with every other brew, but they've never been great. This is the first I've made that has really impressed me, and I my technique has changed much.

This is my second time brewing this beer, the first time being the all-grain version, and i brewed this version due to a tight schedule this time. Both have been mind blowing and this beer is quickly becoming my favorite NB kit. To kick it up a notch i added an extra 3 lbs of pilsen extract and an additional ounce of the Nelson Sauvin hops at 10 minutes left in the boil. This beer is out of this world. Came out with an FG of 1.008 and no noticeable off flavors even after a near disastrous incident where my temperature probe fell out and my beer almost froze. 3711 is a beast though and still managed to get the beer up to 9.6%. you HAVE to brew this beer this summer, especially if you have friends who haven't quite opened up to interesting craft beers, or those who prefer the vino. It lives up to the hype. Cheers folks! (Posted on 6/12/14)

While this beer sat in my secondary and I pondered what exactly I am doing with my life, I came across a bottle from O'Dell called deconstruction, a limited edition beer aged in chardonnay casks. After trying that I decided that if my beer was even close to that I would be happy.

Well we cracked our first antithesis bottles today (10 days primary, 20 secondary, 30 in bottles) and we were blown away. This beer does what O'Dell tried to do and kicks it in the balls. It takes what is good about white wine and pairs it with a creamy beer - it isn't too sweet, too tart, or too light. Please go against your instincts and buy this beer. (Posted on 5/5/14)

I was very excited when this kit arrived the other day. Put the kids to bed early and brewed to the NB recipe except for one detail - added only ~1/3 of the LME at 60 minutes to try and keep the brew as light as possible, and added the remaining extract at 20 minutes. Pay attention, as the directions on the Danstar Saison Belle dry yeast packet call for rehydrating the yeast before pitching. I followed those instructions and rehydrated during the boil. Yeast foamed up after about 10 minutes and was threatening to take over my kitchen at 30 minutes. Pitched into 80-degree wort at midnight. Checked airlock when the kids woke me up at 6 AM, and fermentation appeared strong as the yeast hammered away. About a two-inch krausen and a divine, beery smell coming from the bucket already. Do your research on the yeast, as it is known to want higher fermentation temps than "typical" (US-05, for example) ale yeasts. So, if your fermentation setup is affected by local weather, this may be perfect for your warm-day environment. Right now, ambient temp is ~68 while outside of fermentation bucket reads 75! Inside is likely warmer, but I have no thermo-well to check. I will update after the brew is done and I have a chance to taste the finished product, likely in 6 weeks. I can't wait.
Brew on! (Posted on 3/16/14)

This is a beer that lets you indulge your inner brewing geeks while still producing something that even the most timid of beer drinkers will really enjoy. It's easy to make because a third of the sugars come from the grape juice concentrate. I wouldn't say it has the "spiciness" I usually associated with saison, but I don't think it needs it. The wine comes through in a citrus-like flavor, and it goes down deceptively easy for a beer with an alcohol by volume that gets close to 8 percent. I'm expecting the wine flavors will mature with time. (Posted on 1/24/14)

Great unique beer kit here. Get a lot of white wine smell but more taste of your traditional Saison. Mine came out quite strong at over 8%. Already a favorite of my wife and friends! (Posted on 11/10/13)

This saison turned out really great. The sauvignon blanc comes through as a subtle fruity aftertaste that adds nice complexity to the beer. It is like nothing else I have ever tried, and you are doing yourself a real disservice if you don't give this kit a shot - especially if you love saisons like I do. (Posted on 8/3/13)